Steelers WR Martavis Bryant requests trade, should Cowboys inquire?

There is a not-too-happy wide receiver in the NFL with the name Bryant on the back of his jersey, and contrary to what many would erroneously assume, he doesn’t reside in Dallas. According to Ian Rapoport, Steelers WR Martavis Bryant is hoping the team will trade him out of Pittsburgh.

Sources: #Steelers playmaking WR Martavis Bryant recently requested a trade. His teammates and coaches are well aware that he’s unhappy.

The Cowboys passing game isn’t clicking the way they hoped it would to start the season, but the question is whether they need to add help from outside the organization. Dez Bryant has had his struggles gaining separation this season, but in looking at the film, the majority of those stem from his quarterback, Dak Prescott. Dez, a few drops notwithstanding, is making the most out of the his opportunities. The problem has been that a large share of his targets aren’t catchable balls.

Cole Beasley, who led the team in receptions, is seeing opposing defenses focus on him like never before. It’s been a rough go of it for him, but he did score two touchdowns against the Packers in Week 4.

The biggest question mark among Dallas receivers has been Terrance Williams, who hasn’t shown much after signing a four-year deal to remain in Dallas over the offseason.

It will be interesting to see if Williams remains the No. 2 receiver after the bye, or if the team will give Brice Butler more opportunities. Butler has improved his pass-catching over recent seasons, and has caught eight of his 11 targets for a whopping 25.9 yards-per-reception and two touchdowns.

That brings the conversation back to Martavis Bryant. He and Butler share a similar skillset, though the former has a more recognized pedigree. Martavis Bryant has done it before, catching 50 passes in just 11 games in 2015. There are two concerns though, Bryant has a lengthy suspension history for substance abuse violations of the CBA. He missed four games in 2015 and all of 2016. His next suspension will be an indefinite ban.

He and Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger haven’t been able to get on the same page since his return. On 11 deep ball targets, only two have been deemed catchable by Pro Football Focus, and Bryant dropped one of those.

Would his fortunes change in Dallas, in a system he’s unfamiliar with? Would he bring more to the table than Butler if he was given more of an opportunity to showcase his skill? Would he be able to remain active over the course of the remaining year and a half on his contract?

These open-ended questions might sour the Cowboys on the idea of pursuing him, even if Pittsburgh made him available.

Email

Like this article?

Sign up for the Cowboys Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning

An error has occured

Please re-enter your email address.

Thanks for signing up!

You'll now receive the top Cowboys Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.